Sometime ago in 1985, some musicians heeded the call to a studio to record a song that became an epic. That song; “We are the world” went on to sell more than 20m copies and raised over US$60m for humanitarian aid.
There comes a time when all well meaning individual, irrespective of tribe, religion or colour, must stand up against any element that threatens our collective existence. For several months now, there has been a systematic campaign of carnage, death and destruction against several sections of Nigeria by Fulani herdsmen.
It must be noted that with the social contract theory, government owes every individual protection of life & property because if all men should endeavour to protect themselves in ways they deem fit, calamity will arise and there won’t be any reason for government.
The APC led federal government, despite all election promises before the 2015 general election, has refused to implement policies that will improve the quality of life of Nigerians across the 36 states of the federation. The GMB led government is now adding insult to injury by shielding killer herdsmen from arrest and prosecution. Despite the gruesome deaths that we have been witnessing across the nation, the government and its security apparatus seem not to bother to protect innocent farmers who are just looking for their means of livelihood.
Nigeria currently produces less than 20% of what we eat. It is very important that more people go into farming to provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youth and increase agricultural yield for the benefit of Nigerians but killer herdsmen are scaring young people away from the farms. The slow response of government and its security agencies to protect farmers across the nation is a ticking time bomb which must not be allowed to blow. We cannot afford to allow farmers leave their farms just for herdsmen to graze on. Government must call the herdsmen together and let them know that open grazing is an old fashioned trade that cannot be allowed in the 21st century. We must develop profitable ways of rearing cattle that will not disturb others.
The nation has an abundance of poultry & fish farmers; they are not disturbing the peace of the nation, herdsmen must be curtailed. They cannot be killing innocent people just because they have to feed their cattle. We are simply turning into a nation at war against itself, no natural disaster, no known external aggression, but we are spending billions of Naira on arms and ammunition when there are millions of Nigerians who cannot afford to eat three square meal a day. There are millions of primary school age children currently out of school.
Something urgent & drastic must be done to curtail the unwarranted killing before these farmers develop strategies to secure their families & farms. Traditional & religious leaders must put government and the security apparatus on their toes to provide the much needed security for our farmers. Killer herdsmen are human beings; they must be apprehended and prosecuted. Everyone must speak out against this evil act.
Let peace reign in Nigeria because it is only in an atmosphere of peace that the much needed development can materialize.
God bless you.
God bless Nigeria.
